Spice In The Rice
by Basched
Summary: Fic for the Rayne Shippers Fall Challenge. Prompt: #43 SPICE. River allows Jayne to have some of her food. pre-rayne. Rating T only to be safe.


_Author's Note: This fic is for the Rayne shippers Fall Challenge on LJ. My first one and I hope it goes all right. Prompt: #43 SPICE. Pre-Rayne. Ts'ao-k'ou is the Chinese name for the spice I've used._

**Spice In The Rice**

"Got enough for one more?"

River turned round from the cooker and her eyebrow rose in quizzical surprise at the sight of Serenity's merc standing in the doorway to the galley. He was gazing hungrily at the pan of rice boiling away on the hob and his stomach let out a loud rumble at the thought of getting food.

"She may do." she said turning back to the rice and stirring it with a long wooden spoon.

Business for Serenity had been slow recently and the food supplies were low as a consequence. The meals had been the barest scraps left in the cupboards and tasteless to boot, which greatly dampened the crew's spirits. Dinner was, to River, a joyous time when the family all sat round the table and bonded over their meal, but the past week hadn't been so. The conversations which usually buzzed and brightened the evenings were now just sombre silences as they picked and reluctantly ate what was available. Sometimes Mal and the others didn't even show up for the meal, instead opting to snack on the dry crumbly protein bars, which tasted about as good as the other food they had left. Morale was below rock bottom.

No one else had turned up for tonight's meal, no one had volunteered for cooking, but seeing Jayne staring at her rice, she figured she could spare some for him.

"I'm starved." he said, walking up beside her and licking his lips as he watched the rice cook before him. "I could eat anything right now…but rice'll be fine."

"You want some?" River asked. Jayne grunted a sarcastic _"yeah..mebbe…" _in response. "Very well. It's not going to be much."

"I ain't askin' for much, moon brain. Jus' somethin' to stop ma stomach from goin' crazy and shut it up, is all."

"Shut up the stomach…shut up the mouth?"

"Hey!" Jayne snarled. "I was going to offer to help, but I shan't bother now!"

Anyone else would have decided to let him go hungry, River thought it would be cruel to let someone who loved food so much, to go without something decent. River frowned for a moment, mainly to herself…since when she do nice for the man with a girls name?

She heard him slump down into a chair and once more his stomach rumbled in protest. Jayne had been moaning the most about the lack of food, he voiced his rants and spiteful comments daily, so perhaps some food would quieten him down. That way the Captain and the rest of the crew wouldn't be so on edge either.

"Peace and quiet is preferable." said River to herself, but she knew Jayne was listening. "Rice for Jayne, is the solution to our predicament."

"Well…yeah. Darned right."

River heard the effort his mind was going through to keep himself quiet; she heard his fear that if he retaliated she would take away his food. Silly ape man. He did make her laugh.

Most of the time, River liked the simplicity of Jayne's thoughts. They weren't stupid no matter how some people viewed him, but his thought processes were concise and uncomplicated. There was an order to his way of thinking that not many people had and most of the time he spoke what he thought.

Right now, he was hungry. Normally he would eat, but as there was none or little with any real texture or flavour, it upset his order. It made him cranky. Made him irritable.

"She is not simple." River said, noting that the rice was nearly ready now. The scrape of the chair behind her tore and squeaked horribly on the floor and Jayne came rushing over, now peering over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the pan.

"What's wrong now, crazy? Have you burnt the rice? Better not have!"

"No…rice is fine." River sighed. "She is not simple…complicated thoughts and scenarios buzz in her head, the words are too complex when she speaks. No wonder you don't like her."

"Huh?!" Jayne sneered, trying to reach round to check on the pan himself, only to be blocked by River. "What's got you talkin' gibberish again? An' whats for not likin' ya? Ya'll right when ya lucid, calm and the like. Dammit girl! Don't go off on a tangent!! Is the gorram food ready yet?"

He's still focused on the sustenance. River grinned and giggled when Jayne's stomach rumbled again. Right now, stopping his stomach from growling like that was his only focus.

"Nearly ready…" she said, noting the scowl still creasing his face. "I have just one more thing to put in."

"What is there on this boat that'll make rice taste any better?" he scoffed, impatiently going to the drawers to get some chopsticks for them both. River turned round to him as he then went to reach for two brown bowls in the cabinet above her head. She was in his way but he didn't shove her aside; instead Jayne pressed up against her front, his body stretching and nudging against her head as he leaned. The closeness of him was making her cheeks blush red so River tried to get back to the rice, however he completely blocked her way and her face was forced onto his chest.

Her eyes widened in a confused panic as she felt a defined (and rather pleasant) muscled torso through the thinness of his favourite yellow t-shirt. Yes he was just getting the dinner bowls and he was actually helping her despite saying he wouldn't, but the contact made a warm jolt run through River's body. Her hands were curiously shaking and an assortment of scenarios (involving him taking the shirt and other clothes off) popped rather suddenly into her head. The wooden spoon clattered to the floor and all she could do was look down and watch it lie there.

"Clumsy, little bit!" said Jayne awkwardly crouching down to pick up the spoon for her. He held it out for her to take and when River wouldn't look up from ground he thrust it back into her hand. "Don't you go dropping the food though, y'hear?"

"She….hears…" River murmured. Though she barely did because of the somersaults her mind was doing now. She was confused, concerned as to why so many thoughts (again about Jayne, his lack of clothes and curiously eating rice off him) were now bombarding her. Why were so many of her senses going haywire and screwy?

She remembered the look of hunger and want in his intense blue eyes, her ears heard the sounds of his stomach, of his grunts of effort as he stretched and her nose noted the smell…the smell of Jayne as he leaned over her. The distinct scent of man sweat, intoxicating and alluring….with a slight hint of citrus.

"Cardamom!" River blurted out so suddenly that Jayne looked positively aghast at her outburst. He staggered back, holding the chopsticks out towards her like he would a knife, hoping she wouldn't attack him again.

"Now listen here, missy!" he growled. "Don't quite know why you mentioned those things or what protections gotta do with eatin' ruttin' rice…but you jus' calm down and go to yer happy place, the one that don't make you act all loopy, right?!"

Her laughing was not what he expected, she noticed. She saw and felt the confusion as she immediately crouched down on her hands and knees and crawled between his legs to reach the cupboard behind him. He stepped over her, spinning in a dazed circle for a moment, wondering what the hell she was up to.

"You little witch! What'cha playin' at now?!?!"

Jayne's stomach rumbled again and the constant reminding screams of his hunger wasn't helping with his sanity as River felt his burning gaze glaring at her on the floor. More aptly, she knew he was looking at the way her bottom moved from side to side as she rummaged in the cupboard. She felt his eyes saunter down her legs and River curiously felt a strange sense of his hands massaging at her calves. She bolted, knocking over the forgotten dented tins of food and cartons, about to protest at his touching, but when she looked round, she noticed he wasn't even standing near her. Jayne was leaning on the other end of the counter, his arms folded across his chest and a snarl on his face. He couldn't have been touching her legs…

River shrugged her shoulders and went back to searching the cupboard. She found the forgotten bottles of spices at the back, moved because not even they could improve the taste of food Serenity had left.

"Hey!" Jayne nervously stepped closer to her and tapped his boot against hers, but when she didn't acknowledge him, he kicked it a little harder which did eventually make her look round out of the cupboard. She smiled at him. "I asked ya what'cha up to! What'cha wan' with condoms and why are you lookin' at me like that?! All I wan'ed was some food!"

"Elettaria!" River giggled again, her smile broad over her face. Her hand went up to cover her mouth as she had a brief silly thought that it might split her face in two if she smiled anymore. "Elettaria! Silly Jayne man. You miss heard! Cardamom, she was looking for the Cardamom."

Eventually she scrambled out of the cupboard and got to her feet, holding up the bottle full of green pods and shaking them in front of his face.

"Oh! Right!" Jayne was stricken back by his mistake, but he quickly focused on the bottle in River's small delicate hands. "So this is about the food, not about sexin'…yeah?"

"Yes."

"Oh good…" a huge sigh of relief washed over him. River felt it too, swaying gently as if his feeling was a fresh breath of air billowing against her. "Cuz I was hopin' it was about the food. Can't be doin' the sexin' 'fore ma belly's full. Unless the food and sexin' happens at the same time…that's okay by me!"

"No!" River replied, perhaps a little too bluntly and loudly for her liking. She shook her head when the scenarios came gushing back into her. Her face blushed with a red burn at the curiously detailed things a person could do with rice; she stumbled against the kitchen counter and frantically stirred at the food in the pan in an attempt to think of something else. "No! Silly, silly thoughts….confusing…factors do not sway judgement…must be strong…don't let the impulses get them spaced."

"So what is this stuff?" asked Jayne, quickly trying to focus the young woman before her crazy ramblings upset the rice. His stomach growled again. River sighed and smiled as his priority of food bombarded her mind into a soothed calm. Centre on the food. The surprise…tell him the surprise.

"Elettaria cardamomom." She responded, briefly looking over her shoulder and smiling at the merc pulling a grossed out scowl at the contents. "A spice. Green Elettaria cardamom. Used for flavouring foods such as pulses and rice…also good for your digestion and your flatulence problems."

"Flatulence?! Hells! I ain't got no dodgy guts, girlie!" Jayne bellowed. "I aint got nothin' wrong with my bowels! When a man has to let loose, he hasta…don't mean he got problems!"

"Poor choice of words…she apologises."

River laughed, not at all fazed by his threatening yell. She turned the heat of the hob down so the rice wouldn't burn, before she snatched the bottle from Jayne's hands and tipped some of the pods into a small crushing bowl. She lifted it up to her nose and breathed in the strong sweet aroma, then she tipped a handful of the pods into her cupped palm and turned to face Jayne. Still feeling his anger (about having to wait longer for his food) she stepped closer and involuntarily inhaled a long drawn sniff at his t-shirt instead of the spice in her hand; the waft of citrus and Jayne sweat invoked raging palpitations in her chest.

"Hey! What's the sniffin' for?!"

She could hear his heart beating rapidly, pounding out of control. Or was that hers?

River was feeling more than dazed and confused, in fact she swayed almost to the point of falling over, but before her legs could give way beneath her, Jane's hands gripped on her arms, steadying her upright.

"Spice in the rice…" she murmured, when the overpowering desire for food from Jayne calmed the thumps of her silly heart. Carefully River held her hand up under his nose. "Cardamom."

His tight grip loosened from her arms and then cautiously Jayne sniffed short little intakes, before grabbing River's hand and holding it steady so he could take a longer more intense smell.

His eyes closed and River watched as he too became unsteady on his feet.

"Wode tian!! Ts'ao-k'ou!" Jayne breathed in the pungent spice once more, moaning as the scent rushed up his nostrils. "How in all the ruttin' hells did ya get yer hands on Ts'ao-k'ou? It ain't cheap!"

"It's been in the back of the cupboard for a while…sealed and fresh." River replied, concerned that he still hadn't let go of her wrist. Her palm was beginning to sweat and tingle under such unusual gentle touching from him. "No one knew what it was, didn't like the look of it so they left it alone. You know of it?"

"It looks different from what I 'member. They weren't green." A rare but genuine and pleasant smile shone down at River. "Ma used to cook plenty with it…when pa could git hold o' some.."

"Mysore is stronger than the Malabar variety. Contains more cineol and limonene which makes it more aromatic. " River felt the words babble from her mouth. "You…you like?"

"Aw sweet heavens, woman…I love it. Ya gonna put it in the rice whole or ground?"

"Whole…ground cardamom loses its flavour too quickly."

"Atta girl! Yer not completely screw loosed!"

"Such a lovely compliment." River said. "Coming from you."

"Well, you know how to cook an'….an' that's all right by me."

Jayne's stomach rumbled loudly, prompting River to gaze back over at the rice on the counter. She went to pull away from his grasp, but she was frozen to the spot when his thumb caressed against the inside of her wrist. An exciting warmth pulsed down her arm and down to her thighs, eliciting a gasp and a sudden incomprehensible stream of stammering words. She tried to silence herself, knowing that her "crazy talk" made Jayne angry, but she was stunned once again when he ignored her and picked from her palm, one single green wrinkled pod. He placed it to his lips and crunched down hard with his teeth to split it apart; his jaw masticated at the tiny seeds within, grinding them to release the flavours. River watched in awed fascination as Jayne closed his eyes once more and sighed with a long happy contented moan. It was more than apparent that he loved this.

"You'd best get it done, little moonbrain." Jayne said, nodding his head to the counter. "Don't wan' the rice t' get ruined…do we?"

River shook her head, mainly to force her long brown hair to hide her flustered face.

"Need some help?" he asked.

She shook her head again and was more than thankful when he finally let go of her wrist.

She thought she heard him snigger as she prepped the meal and she even felt his eyes watching her, observing every single thing she did. The stirs of the spoon, the sprinkling of the cardamom over the white fluffy heated grains of rice; he was watching her like a predator studying its pray and when she clumsily dropped some of the rice on the counter, before she could even blink, Jayne's fingers had scooped it off the top and shoved them into his mouth.

"Don' be wastin' none, gorrammit!" he said, almost whining as he licked at his fingers.

River stuck her tongue out at his criticism.

"Don't stand so close!" she snapped.

He never moved away, Jayne stood rooted to the spot behind her as she continued to prepare for their dinner. Every so often, he would lean in and brush against her in his attempts to see what she was doing and he made her breath catch, he made the heat inside her swell. She couldn't comprehend why she was reacting like this.

"It's ready." she said at long last, trying to ignore his impatient lingering round her. Jayne was a distraction as River had never seen him quite so passionate about a meal before. He smacked his hands together once and hurried over to the table, which he had lain out ready. He sat down into the chair and picked up his chopsticks, tapping them against the edge as she dished up. River carried the two brown bowls over to the table, repeating to herself again and again that it was just a simple meal. He had asked and she had agreed to sparing some of her rice with him, it wasn't anything more. Not that it could be…..could it?

"It's just dinner…its just dinner….its just dinner."

"Hells, don' ever say that!" Jayne allowed her to place the bowl in front of him and after a brief mutter of some kind of prayer, he picked up his chopsticks and scooped up a huge mound of rice into his mouth. With his cheeks bulging, Jayne held the food inside and groaned. "Food is for the soul, little nut….'member that."

"Food helps stop the hunger noises." River said, taking small little nibbles at the individual pieces of rice. "It quietens the beast, silences the growling and makes the temper calm. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Could say that." Jayne slowed down in his scooping, preferring now to savour the fragranced cardamom rice. "But ya ain't tryin' t' do that, are ya?"

"She is not trying anything!" River murmured nervously, jabbing the food with frustrating thrusts of a single chopstick. "Both were hungry…you came to her, asked for food….only shared as a courtesy!"

"All righ'! Don't get yer panties in a twist!" Jayne held up his hands acknowledging that she was right, before going back to his meal. He picked up a couple pods of cardamom from amongst the grains with his fingers, placed them on his tongue and chewed them happily as if they were like sweets. "Thanks….for sharin' then. Is 'preciated."

"s'okay…." she mumbled.

"It's good. Best rice I've had in weeks. "

"Thank you."

"Yer welcome." Jayne carried on eating, until naturally, his bowl was empty. When he finished, he laid the chopsticks beside the bowl and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach with a satisfying pat of his large hands. River watched as he breathed in and held that breath, before letting loose a loud satisfying belch.

Before his table manners had disgusted her, as it did to the rest of the crew, but now she could only smile as she realised that it was a sign. A sign that Jayne really did enjoy and appreciate her cooking. It was supposed to be a compliment, so River took it as one. She was more than pleased that such a simple easy to make dish satisfied his hunger. Peace and quiet will reign on Serenity once more.

Jayne let out a second but more controlled and quietened belch before rising from his chair. He stretched out and River almost choked on her food when she thought (it was ridiculous) she heard a pleased purr come from the merc. Jayne stroked his hand up under his t-shirt and rubbed his happy peaceful belly once more. River's eyes could have burst from their sockets as she caught a glimpse of his toned body beneath; the heat rushed to her face once again and she drooped her head down to stare at her bowl and rice. She was becoming edgy at these reactions to him and deeply concerned.

Jayne Cobb wasn't supposed to be making her feel like this, but she couldn't fathom why she was.

"Well…I can say this, moonie." Jayne patted at his stomach again. "That was some tasty condamom."

"Cardamom! It's called Cardamom!" she squeaked not looking up to meet his gaze. She refused to glimpse in his direction, in case she reacted strangely again.

"Yeah…condamoms are what the fancy folk call their sauces ain't it? Whatever…it made all the difference, made plain rice inta real grub. You did good, ya made this man real happy. Thanks."

A whole string of surprising compliments from him completely threw River. Had she really gone insane now? No…she was all right, Miranda had healed her in some strange limited twisted way, she was sane, well most of the time. So why in the gorram hell was she getting tingly and tense around the ape man? No….not an ape…better looking than an ape. Much better.

River shovelled some rice into her mouth as her plan on keeping it full was preventing the words from coming out; words that would no doubt upset Jayne and embarrass herself. As she chewed and kept the words silent, Jayne's presence was not helping in stopping her twitching and fidgeting. He wasn't helping when he wasn't behaving like himself.

"You all right? Ya shakin' and lookin' kinda funny…."

River screwed her eyes shut; but that didn't make the image of Jayne-without clothing go away. It didn't miraculously rid her of the real Jayne or the fluttering in her stomach…nor did it put a stop to the clammy sweat forming on her palms. The chopsticks wouldn't stay balanced in her fingers, her co-ordination was all wrong and River was immensely frustrated. She dropped the sticks down by her bowl and used her fingers to scoop in more rice.

"Hey slow down!" Jayne said as her hands crammed as much rice in her as possible. "Are ya wan'in' to be sick?!"

River shook her head, her puffed up cheeks straining so hard to keep the rice and words in her mouth. With her eyes looking up at him in desperation, she projected her best "Go away!" expression she could muster, but it only resulted in Jayne chuckling to himself. River didn't need to hear that light laughing grunt nor to feel his hand rest against her face. With a thumb on one side and his fingers on the other, Jayne cupped her and moved her head forwards. The glint in his blue eyes flared with mischief just seconds before he squeezed at her bulging cheeks.

The rice fell out of River's mouth and into a dribbled mess back in the bowl, leaving the young nineteen year old still looking terrified at Jayne, with her mouth hanging open. Jayne laughed this time, an actual proper laugh rather than the amused happy little grunt; its loud boisterous tones were warming to hear, and a little strange especially from him. However, her reaction was anything but calming.

"She's not in a twist!" River cried shrilly, her small fists clutching hold of her hair again. "It's not possible to get twisted! She's not wearing any!!"

From beneath her chaotic hair came a tiny "eeek!" of pure horrific embarrassment. River slapped her hand over her mouth and the other over her eyes to avoid seeing Jayne's reaction. He was going to be mad, angry that she said such freaky things…her crazy talk did not keep him mellow.

The angry insults didn't sound, nor did the assault of maddening and frightened emotions affront her mind. Instead she was once again covered with a wave of relief before a startling fizz of excitement. Raw uncontrollable excitement.

"Understood that all too well, little nut."

Her hands dropped away from her face and she nearly leapt into the air when he pushed her hair over the backs of her ears. Settling down after the shocking touch again from Jayne, River was beginning to panic. No leering grin stared back at her, only a deadly serious expression fixed with her quivering brown eyes.

"Course its all clear t' me! It makes gorram sense! You followin' me round the boat, the watchin' an' gawpin' when I'm doin' my weights; the sniffin' and smellin'…. is the little crazy in heat?" Jayne moved round her, before crouching down next to her left hand side. He picked up the chopstick next to her bowl and slowly it began to spin through his fingers. "Gettin' all those tingly feelings in the nethers are we?"

"No!" River sneered back, defiantly. Such defiance quickly vanished. "Yes. It's not normal."

"You're not normal, are ya?"

"Neither are you, man with a girl's name!"

River let another little "eek.". She should know what he was about to say, his thoughts were often clear and uncomplicated, but now all she was getting from him was a primal need, a very lustful want that was screaming just like his hunger had done. Or was that her feelings? River couldn't tell who was feeling what. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

"So tell me the truth." Jayne whispered. "You bin following me and doing your little spyin' on me 'cause…you like what you see don'tcha?"

"No." River nodded her head.

"Did'cha let me have some of your food to try an' 'duce me?"

"That was not her initial plan."

"So you are plannin' on s'ducin' me now?"

River shrugged her shoulders, before shying harder against the chair.

She wasn't sure what she wanted, or what the sensations meant. Chaos…none of them were acting the way they should be, the situation wasn't helped with his close proximity and her hot flushes were not stopping.

"You got some crazy notion in that skull o'yours if you think ya can, girlie." Jayne shuffled round from her side to her front, standing up and placing both of his hands on either arm of River's chair. "The cap'ain and yer pansy assed brother certainly won't approve…and y'know who will git the brunt of it…don'cha?"

"They'll put you in the airlock…they'll think you're taking advantage of a girl who doesn't know better."

"Well that ain't gonna happen, little crazy. I'm not gonna get spaced, shot, killed or have any parts o' ma 'natomy sliced off 'cause the others think I'm bein' a dirty ole man. Cause I ain't. Dong ma?"

"Ain't what?" River asked, finding a small amount of courage within the flustered fear. "Dirty or old?"

Jayne growled and bent in close to her. River froze, she simply couldn't move for his hot breath breezed against her face and his mouth skimmed down against her ear. Her body tensed, even all the Academy defence go se inside refused to kick in and kick him away. It addled her to be so confused like this. Never had she thought of Jayne in sexual terms before…(again the eating off the Jayne plate yelled in her head) so why was she like this now?

She simply doesn't comprehend.

"I was bein' truthful 'bout the food, girl." Jayne whispered deeply and sincerely to her blushing face. "Thanks…but know this…I may have a full belly and I might be ready for sexin', but I'm not doin' a thing. They're your plans an' your girlie feelin's….sort 'em out. Sort yerself out. I won't take the fall…Not ever. Y'hear?"

"She hears." River stammered.

Jayne nodded in approval, a quick firm nod acknowledging that what he had said had sunk into her head. He edged away, but his eyes never broke their stare. The confusion wasn't clearing in River at all, even with the distance he was putting between them; a torrid mulch of her feelings and his squashed in her head that she couldn't separate them. The sensations, of his hands caressing her legs, of his lips against her cheek and his thumb stroking her wrist, teased her senses and made her think they were real. They felt so damned real, she couldn't help but tremble.

"You think on it some." Jayne broke the silence and immediately put an end to River's indulgence. "In the meanwhile….I'll be in ma bunk."

"_If ya decide finally on wha'cha needs." _

His message echoed in her head and she gasped, jumping up from her chair.

"It's not feasible! Emotions are turbulent and she's drowning! She…I…I don't know what to do!"

It was too late, Jayne had already walked out of the galley and she was left standing, shaking in the middle of the room. Alone.

Alone with her thoughts, her feelings and new desires over the man called Jayne. The man who had so despised her and wanted rid of her, that it just wasn't logical to be feeling like this. He was right, she had been watching him, following and….craving for him.

What had she hoped to achieve from feeding Jayne like that?

To touch, to devour and be devoured; to breathe in the scent of him and to taste.

River solemnly looked down at her bowl of rice and glared at the specks of cardamom nestling amongst the white. Lemons were so bitter and sour on their own, but when fused in with the tasteless and plain rice, they became flavoursome and vibrant, adding a needed burst of taste and life.

Life.

Since Miranda, River had started to come alive again. However, the many other secrets, the hush hush thoughts of the Parliament still prevented her from becoming completely normal. She wasn't alive yet. She was still rice.

She needed ts'ao-k'ou. She needed the bitter sour to give her flavour.

River smiled as she finally recalled why she had searched for the Cardamom in the first place.

The confusion started to settle and fade away.

"I know." The smile on her face became brighter. "I know what I need. The spice in the rice."


End file.
